What About The Managers

March 22, 2011

Chapter 8 – Open Teams

So far this sounds great. The team is communicating well. Everyone is sharing responsibility for the entire project and all the teams members are learning from each other and writing better code. So… What about the managers?

You may find it difficult to work with your manager when you work remotely. The answer is don’t. Don’t work with your manager like a manager. Work with them like a team member. Encourage them to be part of the team rather than above it.

Your manager is just another member of your team. They need things from you and you need things from them. Ask them for a code review. Your manager doesn’t know anything about code? Ask them anyway. Show them what you are doing. Include them in technical discussions. Don’t treat your manager like an outsider.

Making your team open will make it very easy to manage. Everything that is happening on the team is clear and your manager never needs to wonder what you are up to.